Homeowners voice concern over Ranchero Interchange Project

OAK HILLS • Property owners near the Ranchero Interchange and railroad underpass projects are concerned about health and safety issues they say have been caused by the construction.

Gary Lewis, who lives in Oak Ridge Estates just east of Interstate 15 near the Ranchero Road off-ramp, said speeding traffic along Mariposa Road, adjacent to the interstate, poses a danger.

"People are too frightened to pull out and go south on Mariposa Road from our neighborhood," Lewis said. "People drive very fast, especially while trying to pass other vehicles. We're not against progress and the project, but we are concerned about the safety of our families."

Soon after the interchange's groundbreaking in January 2013, Lewis and his neighbor, Ray Rodriguez, began contacting agencies involved with the project to share their concerns about traffic safety as well as noise and air pollution.

A timeline provided by Rodriquez shows a detailed list of agencies he has contacted since construction began, including the Mojave Air Quality Management District, the city of Hesperia, Caltrans, San Bernardino County Associated Governments, California Department of Transportation and the offices of Rep. Paul Cook and 1st District Supervisor Robert Lovingood.

In order to send a message to the city and SANBAG, Lewis said he also collected more than 90 signatures from the 39-home community.

In December, Cook's office relayed to Scott Priester, director of development services for Hesperia, a response to safety issues, according to Rodriquez. He said the agency's only remedy was to install a warning sign on the southbound side of Mariposa.

In a January email to Rodriquez, Priester said the principal culprits of freeway noise affecting the neighborhood were the location of the housing project and the predominant wind pattern, not the interchange project itself.

"Interstate 15 has been in existence for many years, and more than 19 million vehicles use the freeway each year, so it stands to reason that properties adjacent to the freeway are already impacted to some level by freeway noise," Priester said. "The city's position at this time is that there is no further noise mitigation necessary for the interchange project."

Tim Watkins, public information officer for SANBAG, said as lead agency for the construction of the Ranchero Road Interchange Project, SANBAG has worked diligently with Hesperia and Caltrans to ensure they deliver a quality project for the region.

"We listened to these concerns expressed by a few of the residents of the neighboring community," Watkins said.

Watkins said many of the concerns of neighbors living in the area had been responsibly analyzed and addressed through the environmental process.

"And in the case of construction activity, we work with regulatory agencies to ensure that we follow the requirements for projects of this nature," Watkins said. "Now, as we enter into the second half of construction of this enhancement to the freeway system, we look forward to the improved commute it will provide for thousands of High Desert residents."

In an emailed statement, Hesperia spokeswoman Rachel Molina said: "City staff, as well as SANBAG staff, have spoken with residents at Oak Ridge Estates on several occasions to answer various questions they had about the project."

The freeway had been in place long before these homes were built, and the interchange has been identified on the City Traffic Circulation system since the early 1990s. The city believes SANBAG has responded appropriately to the concerns of these individuals, the city's email said.

On the east end of the project, neighbors near the completed underpass have dubbed the new roadway the "Ranchero Raceway."

One Ranchero Road resident, who asked to remain anonymous, said without any traffic lights, widening of the road, few stop signs and cars passing on the right, there are no breaks in traffic so vehicles can safely pull out of driveways and onto the roadway.

Phase 3 of the Ranchero Road project is the widening of a fivemile stretch of Ranchero Road between the underpass and interchange and is a joint project between Hesperia and San Bernardino County.

"Staff has been working with the Department of Water Resources on the requirements for widening the bridge over the aqueduct," Molina said. "Regulatory changes necessitate that the new bridge structure provide for enhanced free-board vertical clearance over the water surface."

Molina said the city received state and federal funding specifically for the underpass and interchange projects, which could not be used for other projects in the city. No state or federal funding was received for Phase 3.

Get complete stories every day with the "exactly as printed" Daily Press E-edition, only $5 per month! Click here to try it free for 7 days. To subscribe to the Daily Press in print or online, call 760-241-7755, 1-800-553-2006 or click here.

Never miss a story

Choose the plan that's right for you.
Digital access or digital and print delivery.